"The Secret of the Cathars" is not the first novel which I have set in France. Nor will it be the last. In fact the book I am currently working on continues the story of the leading characters in "Cathar". I have had a long love affair with the country covering nearly sixty years and dozens of visits. Yet I still haven't explored more than a small part of the nation. If I tried to classify my reasons for thinking France is a great place to set a novel, I guess they would be the following:-
Michael Hillier
- The Geography - France is a large country with a huge variety of land and seascapes. It is bordered by three seas with widely differing climates from the wild Brittany peninsula to the sparkling Mediterranean. It has high mountains on two of its land borders. There is the high, bleak Massif Central towards the south. A number of large river systems cross the landscape, some running through rich, fertile lowlands and others cutting through deep gorges. There is a rich diversity of wildlife. The geographical setting is always relevant to me in my novels and France provides a wealth of it.
- The History - for well over 2000 years French soil has been fought over. That is more than any other country. The Romans colonized the Gallic tribes before the birth of Christ. Since then the country has been overrun by the Visigoths who established their southern capital in the Languedoc which in time became the home of the troubadours. For centuries a large part of the country was occupied by the English Plantagenets. That led to the building, for example, of many of the castles that face each other across the Dordogne. And in more recent times the wars with Germany ripped the nation apart.
- The People - The French have never taken the easy route to develop their future. Within the nation there are wide variations in character from the easy-going southerners to the proud (and often rude) Normans. The French Revolution resulted in unparalleled barbarity and violence of Frenchman against Frenchman. Since then the people have often been violently split - most obviously when the collaborators of Vichy France were confronted by the Résistance.
- The Culture - The mixture of racial influences and the location of Paris have particularly resulted in France becoming the primary centre of cultural developments in the world. This has been most obvious in the visual arts - painting, sculpture and architecture. France has also been one of the greatest contributors to the world of music, literature and the theatre. Some of the greatest museums and art galleries in the western world are located in France.
- The Location - However, almost more important than the other reasons, is the fact that France is at the centre of the western world. It is where the romantic world of the Mediterranean, the disciplined world of Eastern Europe and the progressive world of the North Atlantic meet. It has been impossible to exclude France from the development of modern civilisation. Nation-building, exploration, imperialism, democracy and modernisation - these have all taken place in France, often more painfully than in any other country
I think this sums up the influences which make France such a fascinating place to explore and to write about.
About the author: English-born novelist Michael Hillier lives in a house he built in the Costa Blanca, Spain with his labrador Cocoa. A certified builder, who over his career successfully managed three specialist construction companies, Hillier has always been inspired by historic towns and buildings, especially those he discovered in Europe which formed the basis for a number of his books. His previous titles include; The Eighth Child, The Mafia Emblem, The Gigabyte Detective, Network Virus, Dancing with Spies, Bank, and Riversmeet. His latest book The Secrets of the Cathars by Michael Hiller (published by Matador 28th March 2015 RRP £7.99, ebook £1.99) is available to order from online retailers including amazon.co.uk and to order from all good bookstores. For more information please visit mikehillier.com .